Images from central Damascus, where a huge car bomb has rocked a central district of the city, killing bystanders and damaging cars and buildings.

A huge explosion has struck the central Mazraa neighbourhood of Damascus, sending smoke into the sky, shattering windows and leaving the streets strewn with wreckage. All photos come from the state media agency, Sana.

Dozens are feared dead in the blast. Other bystanders were left injured and dazed, and nearby cars were destroyed.

Police and witnesses said a car bombing was to blame. The blast took place at a security checkpoint near the headquarters of the ruling Baath party.

Syrian state TV said most of those killed were civilians. Asked who he blamed for the blast, a local official on the scene said "Salafist and Wahhabist terrorists and al-Qaeda members".

Opposition fighters have carried out several attacks on official targets in the capital in recent months. Eleven people, including children, were said to have died when a car bomb struck a petrol station in Barzeh al-Balad district on 3 January.